Two Wayne County Phantom Voters Challenged

June 27, 2017

[Updated Aug 22, 2017: Today, the Wayne County BOE voted to remove both of the voters challenged in this report. The election board also voted to refer the matter over to the state BOE for possible criminal investigation.]

June 27, 2017 (Goldsboro, NC) — Today, the Wayne County Board of Election officially agreed to move forward with a challenge hearing on two Wayne County residents, whom the Voter Integrity Project alleges, illegally voted from an address at which they did not reside.

“This all started last December, when a Facebook friend forwarded a photo from her friend, who complained that a voter registration showed up at her address on December 2,” said Jay DeLancy, Director of VIP. “The voter was unknown to the long-term resident at that address and the homeowner, Jewel Sauls.”

Upon further research, VIP determined that the voter, Jordan Robert Owens, had indeed voted from Mrs. Sauls’ address. His vote counted, but we advised her to challenge Owens’ right to remain registered at her house. She has lived in the house for more than 13 years, has never known the voter and has never rented rooms to the general public.

“Mrs. Sauls agreed to file the challenge, but two events made her hold off on that action,” said DeLancy. “First, a challenge during the Christmas season would inconvenience the staff and board at the elections office. And second, another voter registration showed up at her house!”

It belonged to another Wayne County resident, named Shawn Schroeder. While Mrs. Sauls had received Schroeder’s voter registration, VIP could not find him on the statewide voter look-up site. Undeterred, VIP Director of Research, John Pizzo, located Schroeder’s and Owens’ vote history from the underlying database to the site and confirmed that both men voted from that address.

It is against North Carolina law to vote from an address at which you do not reside. Both of the phantom voters have criminal records that include at least one felony each and they also happen to be friends on Facebook.

“There may be some sort of innocent reason these two young men cast illegal votes, but we suspected otherwise” DeLancy said, “so we notified Joan Fleming, the Chief of Investigations for the State Board of Elections and informed Mrs. Sauls of the complications involved in these challenges.”

Still frosted that total strangers can and did vote from her address, she was undeterred and filed the challenges.

When asked about any public criticism she might endure for challenging these voters, she cited numerous occasions where she was appalled at the low turn-out figures and went to her Facebook page to goad her friends into voting before the polls close. She even played the guilt card, reminding her friends that people gave their lives for the right to do this.

“I have been accused of being a vote shamer… never a vote suppressor,” she said, “but if you don’t live at my address, don’t use my address to vote!”

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The hearing will to be July 11 at 3:00 P.M., at the Board of Elections office, 209 S. William Street. Click the following link to read the official hearing notice: Board Mtg Notice 07112017